.\" Generated from pam_start.c by gendoc.pl
.Dd May 31, 2025
.Dt PAM_START 3
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm pam_start
.Nd initiate a PAM transaction
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.In sys/types.h
.In security/pam_appl.h
.Ft "int"
.Fn pam_start "const char *service" "const char *user" "const struct pam_conv *pam_conv" "pam_handle_t **pamh"
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Fn pam_start
function creates and initializes a PAM context.
.Pp
The
.Fa service
argument specifies the name of the policy to apply, and is
stored in the
.Dv PAM_SERVICE
item in the created context.
.Pp
The
.Fa user
argument specifies the name of the target user - the user the
created context will serve to authenticate.
It is stored in the
.Dv PAM_USER
item in the created context.
.Pp
The
.Fa pam_conv
argument points to a
.Vt struct pam_conv
describing the
conversation function to use; see
.Fa pam_conv
for details.
.Pp
.Sh RETURN VALUES
The
.Fn pam_start
function returns one of the following values:
.Bl -tag -width 18n
.It Bq Er PAM_SUCCESS
Success.
.It Bq Er PAM_BAD_ITEM
Unrecognized or restricted item.
.It Bq Er PAM_BUF_ERR
Memory buffer error.
.It Bq Er PAM_SYSTEM_ERR
System error.
.El
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr pam 3 ,
.Xr pam_end 3 ,
.Xr pam_get_item 3 ,
.Xr pam_set_item 3 ,
.Xr pam_strerror 3
.Sh STANDARDS
.Rs
.%T "X/Open Single Sign-On Service (XSSO) - Pluggable Authentication Modules"
.%D "June 1997"
.Re
.Sh AUTHORS
The
.Fn pam_start
function and this manual page were
developed for the
.Fx
Project by ThinkSec AS and Network Associates Laboratories, the
Security Research Division of Network Associates, Inc.\& under
DARPA/SPAWAR contract N66001-01-C-8035
.Pq Dq CBOSS ,
as part of the DARPA CHATS research program.
.Pp
The OpenPAM library is maintained by
.An Dag-Erling Sm\(/orgrav Aq Mt des@des.dev .
